


A Little Fun

by Iamafanoftoomanythingstoname



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor, bowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29228349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamafanoftoomanythingstoname/pseuds/Iamafanoftoomanythingstoname
Summary: Kirk, Spock, and McCoy go bowling after a difficult day. (cross-posted from fanfiction.net)
Relationships: James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock
Kudos: 6





	A Little Fun

**A/N: I thought it would be fun to write about the triumvirate going bowling once I found out the Enterprise had a bowling alley, as I am a bowler myself. Enjoy!**

It had been a particularly stressful day on the Enterprise—one of those days where not only Kirk and his personal friends were lucky to be alive, but the whole crew as well. Thinking a little fun might help to take the edge off, the captain decided to meet with Bones and Spock to talk about his idea. Spock arrived at Kirk’s quarters first, followed closely by McCoy.

“Well, gentlemen,” Kirk began, “we’ve all had a hard day. I think it’s about time we had a little fun. What do you say we go bowling?”

“Go bowling?” Spock asked, unfamiliar with the concept.

“It’s an old Earth game, Spock,” McCoy answered. “One of the few sports that doesn’t require running. I’m not too good at it myself, but it can be pretty fun. I’m up for it, Jim.”

Kirk looked over at his other friend. “Spock?”

“I think not, Captain.”

Kirk grinned. “Come on, give it a try. You may like it.” McCoy smirked and bounced on his toes.

“I think Spock is just afraid I’ll beat him.” 

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. “I should say not, Doctor. After all, you did just say that you are not good at it. However, I will accompany you.” Kirk glanced between his two friends and had a feeling this was going to bring out Bones’ competitive side.

The Enterprise’s bowling alley had six lanes, and since it wasn’t there as a business, it was free and the players set up the games for themselves. Once they picked out their bowling balls and shoes, Kirk explained the rules to Spock. The first ball Spock threw started off in the right direction, but then veered too far left and fell in the gutter.

“You’ve got to aim for the pins,” McCoy teased.

“Yes, thank you Doctor. I had surmised that,” Spock said, reanalyzing how he was going to throw the ball. On the second throw, he knocked down seven pins.

“You’ll get the hang of it,” Kirk said as he stepped up for his turn. He got five, and then picked up a spare on the second shot.

“Nice one, Jim,” McCoy said, then took a deep breath as he picked up his own ball and studied the pins. Only one pin on the far left was knocked over on the first throw.

“Perhaps you should take your own advice, Doctor,” Spock suggested, and McCoy shot him a sour look. After his second throw only took out six more pins, he sat down with a huff and tried to figure out where he went wrong.

“You know,” Kirk said with a smile, “my idea for coming here was to relieve stress.”

“Yeah,” was all McCoy said in reply. Spock quickly improved, and had four strikes halfway through the game.

“How did you do that?” McCoy asked, his eyes narrowing.

“It’s quite simple, Doctor. The keys are precision and consistency,” Spock answered, holding his hands behind his back.

“Yeah, real simple,” McCoy said dryly, crossing his arms. After Kirk got a strike, he laid a hand on his mildly irritated friend’s shoulder.

“You’ll get it this time, Bones. Maybe try not to turn your wrist too much.” McCoy just grunted and got ready to throw the ball, a determined look on his face. This time he got nine, with the 10 pin left over. He frowned slightly as he waited for the ball to return and tried to figure out the best angle to pick up the spare. He felt pretty good about his throw at first, until it looked like it might not curve over far enough. He waved his hand frantically to the right, but to no avail. The worst part was that he seemed to have missed it by only a few centimeters. He swore under his breath, then turned around and walked back over to Spock, who was looking at him curiously.

“What are you looking at me like that for?” McCoy asked.

“For what purpose did you wave your hand? Any motions made after throwing the ball cannot affect—“

“I know that, Spock. It’s just an illogical thing some humans do.” 

Spock raised an eyebrow. “Indeed.” McCoy ignored him and looked at his current score. He needed to step it up if he was going to break a hundred.  
At the end of the game, Spock had a score of 244, Kirk had 134, and McCoy ended with 105 since he finally got a strike on his last throw.

“I say it was beginner’s luck,” McCoy said, referring to Spock’s score as they were putting their boots back on.

“Come on, Bones,” Kirk said before Spock could retort, “No one could get that high of a score based on pure luck.”

“Well, maybe not,” the doctor considered, “but that doesn’t mean he’ll always do that good.” He looked back at Spock. “I knew a guy years ago who was a real good bowler, and he had his share of bad games. Even got less than 100 one time.”

“That does not say anything about your own skill,” Spock argued.

“Hey, the day I beat you, I’m gonna enjoy it, and that’s that.”

“We shall see.”

Kirk smiled to himself. He had a feeling they would come back here often. As much as he liked chess, it was only a two-player game.


End file.
